1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and more particularly to techniques for correcting digital data errors.
2. Related Background Art
Digital data received via a transmission path or digital data read and reproduced from a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a compact disk and a magnetic tape may contain data errors.
One approach to correcting such digital data errors is to use error correction techniques. With error correction techniques, digital data to be transmitted or recorded is encoded with redundancy so that even the digital data contains errors, correct digital data can be recovered.
There are a plurality of types of error correction algorithms for such error correction techniques. These algorithms can be selectively used by considering a digital data type and its error characteristics, a transmission path type and its error characteristics, a storage medium type and its error characteristics, and the like.
In configuring a system which selectively uses a plurality of error correction algorithms, an encoder and a decoder suitable for each algorithm are required to be prepared. In this case, the circuit scale of the whole system becomes large and the cost increases.
In a system which performs error correction encoding of a plurality type of digital data by using a plurality of error correction encoding algorithms, it is necessary to sequentially encode digital data by using an error correction encoding algorithm suitable for each digital data. It is therefore difficult to encode digital data at high speed. This problem is also associated with the decoding side.